Students often reach for energy drinks, coffee, and chocolate bars – anything packed with caffeine – in order to stay awake and alert when studying for a test. Chocolate, especially dark chocolate, has been in the news a lot in the last several years for its health benefits, but how does it stack up as a study aid? We asked our readers and their feedback was invigorating.
Heather Hanks
Heather Hanks, M.S. Nutritionist at Instapot.life. Heather holds an MS in Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM) and specializes in holistic nutrition, gut health, and chronic disease management.
Raw Cacao Powder – Highest Levels of Brain-Preserving Flavonoids
I would be very cautious before recommending chocolate to someone who is studying. While research shows that cocoa contains neuroprotective properties that can elevate mood and even support memory, most chocolate is highly processed and full of sugar and refined carbs that can cause neuroinflammation – essentially reversing the benefit of chocolate on the brain.
If you plan to use chocolate to help you study, make sure it’s in the form of raw cacao powder. This unprocessed version of cocoa contains the highest levels of brain-preserving flavonoids. You can add it to a “milkshake” with almond milk and other anti-inflammatory ingredients to support brain health.
However, if you were to eat a chocolate bar and expect it to help you study, you’ll be met with blood sugar fluctuations and neuroinflammation that essentially reverses your desired outcome.
Flavonoids and Caffeine
If you didn’t notice, the enhanced blood supply to the brain at the proper moment has the potential to increase brain function for some time, based on how long the increased blood flow lasts. A flavonoid compound included in chocolate has been shown to help increase blood supply to the brain, which helps chocolate consumers improve their attention span and problem-solving abilities.
Also, chocolate contains small amounts of caffeine. Not enough to get your blood flowing and keep you awake all night, but it’s enough to improve your focus, memory, and, most significantly, lift your mood and bring you the euphoric feeling you need to enjoy your study time.
Charles McMillan
Charles McMillan, a businessman and founder of Stand with Main Street.
Steven Zhang
Steven Zhang is a content-writing specialist who has worked in several different niches ranging from outdoor activities to medicine. Find him at luremefish.com
Dark Chocolate, Your Study Buddy
Chocolate, specifically dark chocolate, does help you while studying for exams. According to the Loma Linda University of Health, dark chocolate with at least 70% pure improves focus, relaxation, blood flow, and it is packed with antioxidants.
Your brain is another organ that needs constant blood flow. Dark cholate helps with blood flow and also betters your mood. This double effect takes place thanks to a hormone called endorphins. They are responsible for elevating your mood, and everything gets easier when you are in a good mood.
Dark chocolate also contains minerals such as magnesium, which is known to cause relaxation. In addition, the small dose of caffeine that dark chocolate has will help you endure more in your reviewing session.
Some studies also suggest that dark chocolate is associated with flavor memories. In other words, you can remember things that you studied by eating the same chocolate while you do the test. It won’t help you with the whole test. But who doesn’t like a little help?
Chocolate and Exams
It could be likely that some forms of chocolate may benefit students taking exams. While traditional milk chocolate is not necessarily as healthy as dark chocolate, the sugar it provides may provide a temporary increase in energy and clarity.
For dark chocolate enthusiasts, the antioxidants it provides may help improve focus during exams and prevent a potential sugar crash. Antioxidants are plant compounds that provide a host of benefits to the body.
Consuming them regularly may help more in the long term than the short-term regarding cognition. Perhaps this form may be more beneficial in test preparation during the week preceding.
The downside to consuming sugar is the drop that comes when your blood glucose begins to lower due to insulin.
This is a natural occurrence, but the result could still lead to poor focus towards the end of a long exam.
Trista Best
Trista Best is a Registered Dietitian at Balance One Supplements, Environmental Health Specialist, and Adjunct Nutrition Professor.
Lisa Richards
Lisa Richards is a nutritionist and author of The Candida Diet. Through her website, thecandidadiet.com, she explains the benefits of a low-sugar, anti-inflammatory diet.
Dark Chocolate vs. White Chocolate
Promising research has been released in recent years showing the potential for chocolate, specifically dark chocolate, to improve memory, recall, and overall cognition. These improvements have been observed in both the long and short term.
This is good news for students studying for exams and during testing. Consuming dark chocolate while studying and moments before an exam will fuel the student with antioxidants, particularly flavanols, that can enhance mental cognition.
A review released in 2017 looked at students who consumed dark chocolate versus white chocolate two hours after consumption. The students who ate the dark chocolate, which is higher in flavanols, had better reaction time and memory.
Many other studies have been released showing how the antioxidants in chocolate improve blood flow to the brain, oxygen, and nerve function overall.
Hot Chocolate for Focus and Relaxation
As a former school teacher, I have seen students at all grade levels get anxious before exams. And while many students turn to coffee, soda, energy drinks, or other caffeinated products to help them stay up late studying or cramming for an exam, I have discovered a more natural way to help students study for exams: Eating chocolate!
When I was a teacher, one of my favorite tricks to help my students relax and focus better was to serve them hot chocolate during the last few minutes of class before a test. Not only did the warm drink help them relax, but it also had sugar in it the perfect ingredient for quick energy while also having some caffeine to help with focus.
David Scott
David Scott, Founder of Word Finder.
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